NEW MEXICO DISTRICT COURT SELF HELP GUIDE Rev. December 2015 NM District Court Self Help Guide, December 2015 Page 1 of 29 The most current version of this guide is available at: http://www.nmcourts.gov/cgi/prose_lib/ NEW MEXICO DISTRICT COURT SELF HELP GUIDE Table of Contents Topic Page A. Representing Yourself – Basic Information 3 B. Domestic Violence 9 C. Dissolution of Marriage 13 D. Kinship Guardianship 15 E. Name Change 18 F. Probate 21 G. Appeals 24 H. Resource List 26 NM District Court Self Help Guide, December 2015 Page 2 of 29 The most current version of this guide is available at: http://www.nmcourts.gov/cgi/prose_lib/ REPRESENTING YOURSELF – BASIC INFORMATION This information guide is general in nature and is not designed to give legal advice. The court does not guarantee the legal sufficiency of this information guide or that it meets your specific needs. Because the law is constantly changing, this guide may not be current. Therefore, you may wish to seek the advice and assistance of an attorney. WHO THIS GUIDE IS INTENDED TO HELP This guide is intended to help individuals who are representing themselves, either as a plaintiff/petitioner or a defendant/respondent in a civil lawsuit or a domestic matter filed in a New Mexico State District Court. That means this guide is not intended to be used for any other type of court, including Metropolitan Court, Magistrate Court or Municipal Court. It does not have information about appeals from these courts. It is not to be used by defendants in a criminal case. HOW THIS GUIDE IS INTENDED TO HELP YOU This guide is intended to be an informative and practical resource guide to understanding the basic practices of the court and the most common procedures encountered by people representing themselves without a lawyer (known as “self-represented litigants” or “pro se litigants”). It IS NOT a substitute for legal advice; it will not answer all your questions about what you need to do to represent yourself. A WORD OF WARNING Because the law is constantly changing, the court does not guarantee the legal sufficiency of this information guide nor does it guarantee that it meets your specific needs. If you represent yourself in a court case, you are acting as your own lawyer. That means you are expected to know and follow the law and court rules. The potential risks associated with representing yourself are not always obvious. That is why the court encourages anyone who is thinking about representing themselves to talk to a lawyer first. If you are a tribal member, please be aware that this guide does not address tribal law. Your rights and responsibilities in state court may be different than your rights and responsibilities in tribal court. GETTING HELP Court employees are not lawyers and cannot tell you what you should do or how the law applies to your situation. Read more about what court employees can and cannot do at Rule 23-113 NMRA. Some courts have a resource center where court employees can help you with court procedures. They cannot give you legal advice. Check with your local district court to see what services are available to you. While some courts offer packets of forms for certain kinds of court cases, there are not forms for every issue. Look for forms on the New Mexico Supreme Court website at https://nmsupremecourt.nmcourts.gov or check with your local district court to see what forms they offer. Sometimes you will need a lawyer to create legal documents for you. To read about free and low-cost legal help, please go to the Resource List section of this guide. NM District Court Self Help Guide, December 2015 Page 3 of 29 The most current version of this guide is available at: http://www.nmcourts.gov/cgi/prose_lib/ ABOUT NEW MEXICO’S LAWS, RULES OF PROCEDURE, LOCAL RULES AND FORMS As a person representing yourself, you should be familiar with the laws (called “statutes”), rules, local rules, and forms that govern or must be used in your court case. But, court employees cannot help you with this. New Mexico laws, rules, and forms are referred to using a very specific format. You will see four common formats in this guide. For New Mexico Laws (Statutes) the format looks like this: Section 40-8-1 NMSA 1978 For New Mexico Rules of Procedure, the format looks like this: Rule 23-112 NMRA For Local District Court Rules, the format looks like this: LR1-306 NMRA For New Mexico Supreme Court Approved forms, the format looks like this: Form 4-209 NMRA For more information about New Mexico’s Laws, Rules, Local Rules, and Forms, contact the New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library by telephone at 505-827-4850, by email at [email protected], by regular mail at P.O. Drawer L, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-0848, or visit their website at supremecourtlawlibrary.org. If you are viewing the electronic version of this guide, you can click on the number of any statute, rule, or form that is mentioned in this guide to see the text of that statute, rule, or form. You can also get free access to all New Mexico state statutes, rules, and forms on the New Mexico Compilation Commission’s public access website. The New Mexico Compilation Commission is the official legal publisher for the State of New Mexico. Directions for how to find and navigate the Compilation Commission’s public access website can be found at the end of this section of the guide (page 6). STARTING A COURT CASE The pleading that starts a court case is called a “complaint.” Depending on the type of case, this first pleading can also be called a “petition” or an “application.” The court case is started when a complaint is filed with the court. Filing a complaint requires a filing fee. Filing fees vary; check with the clerk’s office at your local district court for more information about filing fees. If your income is below a certain level, you may be entitled to a waiver of the filing fee. This is called “free process.” Ask the clerk’s office at your local district court for more information about free process. Once a court case is started, the plaintiff must “serve” each defendant with a copy of all the court papers they filed. SERVING THE COMPLAINT Each defendant must be notified that a lawsuit has been filed against them through a process that is specified under the law. Whether you are trying to serve a person, a business or a governmental agency, this can be a complicated process. Please read Rule 1-004 NMRA carefully for the steps to follow when serving a complaint. Even if you can’t find the defendant, you still have to serve them. You may have to ask the court for permission to publish a notice in the newspaper by using New Mexico Supreme Court approved Forms 4-209 and 4-209A NMRA. Again, please read Rule 1-004 NMRA carefully for more details. One thing is very important – you do not serve the defendant; your job is to arrange for someone else to serve the complaint for you. NM District Court Self Help Guide, December 2015 Page 4 of 29 The most current version of this guide is available at: http://www.nmcourts.gov/cgi/prose_lib/ ANSWERING A COMPLAINT THAT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST YOU It is important to file an “Answer” to the Complaint within 30 days from the date you are served. The date you are considered served with the Summons is determined by Rule 1-004 NMRA. Otherwise, the plaintiff can ask the court for a judgment against you without you knowing anything is happening. An “Answer” is a pleading. There are New Mexico Supreme Court approved Answer forms available for divorce and civil cases. Some courts offer a packet with the form used to answer a complaint; check with your local district court for more information. There is no fee to file an Answer. TALKING DIRECTLY TO A JUDGE, HEARING OFFICER, OR THEIR STAFF Communicating with a judge or hearing officer without the opposing party being present is not allowed. This is why a judge or hearing officer cannot read your letters or answer your calls. The judge’s or hearing officer’s personal staff – the Trial Court Administrative Assistant – can answer questions about scheduling but cannot give legal advice or tell you how a judge will rule on your case. MONITORING THE PROGRESS OR STATUS OF YOUR CASE The clerk’s office maintains a computerized “register of actions” for each court case. Every time something happens in your court case, whether you file a pleading, have a court hearing, or the court enters an order, it is added to the register of actions in your case. You can look up the register of actions at any time at www.nmcourts.gov. Select “On-Line Case Lookup” and follow the directions. FILING MOTIONS Asking the judge to take a specific action in your case requires filing a “motion.” A motion is the pleading you use to tell the judge your problem and to explain what action you want the judge to take. Some courts offer a packet of forms needed to file a motion. Check with your local district court for more information. Additionally, you must send a copy of any motion you file to all other parties (or their lawyer, if they have one). It may also be necessary for you to send a copy of the motion directly to the judge so the judge will know it has been filed.